


Crystalline

by Poemi



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Complicated Relationships, Cults, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), hints of Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-23 00:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15593865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poemi/pseuds/Poemi
Summary: “How can something so enticing have such awful side effects?”Everyone had heard of Daniel, the overly enthusiastic cult leader that left his compound dead, but not many know what had unfolded before the "mass ascension."  Despite the police reporting stating there were no survivors; for better or worse, there was one. A young adult who had given into desperation and dealt with the consequences of her choice. This is her story.





	1. Desperation

     Hunger. Exhaustion. Frustration. These were all feelings Tomie felt as she trekked through the wooded area. She had absolutely no idea how long she had been walking. It had been a few days since her sense of time had begun to blur. Not just time, but everything. She knew homelessness was difficult, but she had no idea just how much it would ruin her in such a short amount of time.

     It had been almost a month since her parents kicked her out of her home. She did fine for the first week, but things soon went south on week two. She tried all she could to ration what little food and money she had, but she soon found out that it was easier said than done. She was now on week four and it was terrible. She hadn’t eaten for two weeks and she had so much trouble finding shelter. Her ash brown hair was so matted, she eventually gave up on the upkeep and just threw it up in a bun. Her red shirt and blue jeans were covered in dirt. Her black backpack was just as dirty. Her skin, which also had splotches of mud on it, had begun to tan due to the constant exposure to sunlight. In the beginning; she cared about looking somewhat put together, but as time went on her priorities changed. Who cares how decent you look when your stomach was trying to eat itself?

     “I need to sit somewhere,” her voice was weak and tired, “I feel like I’m going to implode from no food and shit sleep.”

     She sat down under the closest tree with a substantial amount of shade she could find. How long would she have to live like this? Would she die soon? The thought caused her to tense up. She couldn’t die now. She was only nineteen! She had her whole life ahead of her. Things she wanted to do. Places she wanted to go. How could all of that be ripped out of her hands because of a single event that she wasn’t even in the wrong for?

     Tomie could feel the tears well up and sting her eyes before furiously wiping them away. No! She wouldn’t just resign herself to some predestined fate. She was going to take her life into her own filthy hands and steer it in whatever direction she pleases.

     Her hopeful feelings were interrupted by her stomach, “I should probably find something to eat first. I guess I should give dumpster diving a try. I heard the best places to check was restaurants. Maybe there’s a diner or something nearby…”

     Suddenly the brunette heard a rustling sound nearby. Almost immediately she felt paranoid. Sure it could be a harmless animal, but it also could be a rapist or a murderer. She was well aware how disposable the homeless were viewed. As quietly as she could manage, Tomie slowly began to crouch crawl deeper into the woods. The closer she heard the rustling, the further she would move back. Eventually, the rustling sound stopped. She let out a breath she wasn’t even aware that she was holding and her body shifted into a more relaxed position.

     And that’s when it happened.

     A loud “snap” sound echoed through the woods. She had accidentally broken a stick with her hand. Immediately she could hear the sound of something coming closer towards her. She cursed under her breath and began her escape. She ran as fast as she could; weaving through the trees and bushes and trying to find some sort of way to lose whoever was behind her. She could hear the footsteps of whoever it was picking up the pace which caused her to panic. She had to get away. If they were trying this hard to catch her, it was obvious that it wouldn’t be for any positive purposes. Suddenly her body went from going forward to flat on the ground. She had tripped on a tree root. Millions of different expletives went through her mind. Almost immediately she could hear the footsteps nearly right behind her. She tried to get back up, but she soon realized just how much damage that root did to her ankle. She began to frantically back away from whoever it was. Her hands scanned the ground for anything she could use to protect herself with. Eventually her hand was over something hard and large. Without a second thought, she closed her eyes, grabbed the object, and just threw it with all the strength she had left.

     “Ow!” a deep male voice exclaimed, “Well, that wasn’t very nice of you to do.”

     She opened her eyes to see a man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His shirt, shoes, and belt were pure white, while his pants were a light grey color. If she wasn’t so terrified, she would be wondering how he managed to keep his clothing look so clean. “S… Stay back. I’m armed.”

     The blonde let out a chuckle, “Now we both know that’s a lie. If you had a weapon you wouldn’t have been trying so hard to get away.” He began to walk forward, effectively closing the gap between them.

     Fuck, he was right. “I said stay back!” She began to back up until her back hit a tree.

     The man completely closed the gap between them and crouched down to her level. “Where are my manners?” he began with a big smile, “Hello there, my name is Daniel.”

     She could feel his blue eyes piercing into her soul. Like he expected her to return the greeting despite the fact that she still on edge. “What do you want? Why were you chasing me?”

     “Oh, well that’s simple!” his head tilted to the side, “I was going on one of my daily walks when I heard a voice nearby. I decided to check it out and then you started running. I figured something good would come out of it if I followed you and look where we are now!”

 _This guy is… weird. Really, really weird._ She thought. “... We’re still in the forest. It’s not like that’s changed or anything.”

     Daniel shook his head. “I’m talking about the situation! You’re a person in need and I’m a person that helps those who need it!”

     “... Excuse me?”

     “I bet you’re hungry, tired, and in need of a very nice hot shower!”

     “Well, yeah, but-”

     “Allow me to give you all of that today!”

     Tomie just gave him the most confused look she had ever given. “You want to… Help me?”

     Daniel nodded, his smile grew wider, “We have all the amenities needed at the compound. All you have to do is go there with me.”

     “But I don’t have any way to repay you.”

     He put his hands on her shoulders, causing her to tense up even more. “Silly… Oh, you never gave me your name.”

     “... Tomie.”

     “Silly Tomie! You don’t have to repay me. I’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart.”

     She honestly couldn’t believe it. This near month had been hell. There’s no way the universe would just gift her with something this good. “Really? No strings attached? You’re just going to help me out?”

     “Yup! Absolutely no strings attached. So what do you say?”

     Something in the back of her mind was screaming ‘No, don’t do it.’ But then her stomach and her exhaustion starting pleading with her to go along. How nice would it be to just have one decent meal? Just one good night’s sleep. Just one night wouldn’t hurt, right? She could just leave first thing in the morning!

     “... Alright, but just one night,” she stressed, “I don’t want to be a mooch.”

     She didn’t think Daniel’s grin could have gotten wider, but it did. “Great! I’ll show you the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I've recently joined the Camp Camp fandom and was inspired to make this story. I wanted to play around with what Daniel's old compound would be like before he killed all the members and what I feel like he'd be like if he ever developed feelings for someone. I dunno, I'm just really fascinated by him.
> 
> I've still got plenty of rust on me from a lack of writing so I'm not one hundred percent sure how this chapter turned out, but I hope you found some enjoyment from it!


	2. Ice Breaker

    Due to her ankle, Daniel helped Tomie walk the trip to the compound. He had initially offered to carry her, but she immediately refused to do something so embarrassing. Plus she didn’t want to ruin his perfectly clean clothes any more than necessary. So instead, they walked the way with her arm over his shoulder and his arm around her waist. The trip itself was exhausting, not just because she’s running on zero food and had ran like she was being chased by wolves not too long ago, but because Daniel just kept talking. It wasn’t inherently a bad thing. She was just so used to having no one to talk to that the sudden company was jarring.

    “Families typically share a room,” he explained, “But since you’re alone, you’ll have a room all to yourself. Every room has its own bathroom so you don’t have to worry about sharing.”

    For some reason, the being alone comment kind of stung. Yes; she was alone, but she never actually thought about it or had anyone point it out so bluntly. “Daniel, I appreciate the rundown, but you do remember that I’m only staying for one night, right?” Tomie asked, “Don’t really think I need to know the full layout of the place.”

   “You never know,” he grinned, “You might end up liking the compound so much, you decide to stay permanently.”

    “That is some very optimistic thinking you got there,” she commented. “You must really like it there.”

    “What isn’t there to like?” Daniel replied, “There I’m able to be rid of all my negative emotions.”

   Tomie let out a thoughtful hum, “I dunno if I’d want to get rid of my negative emotions. I feel like I can enjoy the good things in life more because of them. I’d like to think I’ve become a stronger person because of them, you know what I mean?”

    “Oh I don’t know about that Tomie,” he rebutted, “Wouldn’t you rather not feel anxious or paranoid? Wouldn’t you rather feel safe?”

    “Well seeing as I’m _homeless_ ,” she began, “By all technicalities, yes, but-”

    “Then why not join the Church of Ascension?” he offered.

    “Ehh… I’m not really too keen on joining any organized religions at the moment,” she replied with a hint of awkwardness in her tone, “Certain life… Things have made me want to take a break from them.”

    “Well, if you ever change your mind, we’ll accept you with open arms!” They stopped walking. “Here we are. Welcome to the compound!”

   The compound was surrounded by a white stone fence with a silver gate as the entrance. Daniel pressed the button on, what looked like, a front door intercom which emitted a loud buzzing sound. Tomie couldn’t a single thing that was said during whatever exchange happened as the person on the other side was simply unintelligible and Daniel was speaking in a hushed tone. A shrill metallic sound emitted from the gates as they opened. Daniel gave her a smile before resuming the ‘you fucked up your ankle and now I have to help you walk’ position. The outside of the compound buildings were all white with grey roof tiles. The first building she saw definitely looked like a church. The stained glass windows were beautiful; however, she didn’t recognize the imagery as that of your standard Catholic or Christian church. From what she could make out, a lot of it had to do with stars and space. Maybe it was an astrology based religion?

    “In the center of the compound is our church where we have daily sermons,” Daniel explained as he lead the way, “The living area is on the left. There is housing and the dining hall. Which would you prefer to go to first.”

    It was at that moment that a thought passed through her mind. While she hadn’t really seen any of the other members of the compound, they couldn’t have been anywhere near the state of being a complete and utter hot mess that she was. Charitable as Daniel was being, the others probably wouldn’t want to see someone with dirt on various parts of their body eating five feet away from them. “Personally, I’d like to go to housing first to fix all of this,” she gestured towards her whole body, “But if you need time to pick and set up a room-”

    “No worries there,” he interrupted, “We already have a room prepared for you.”

    That must have been what he was talking about on the intercom. “Wow, do you do this for everyone or am I special?” Tomie joked.

    “That depends on how special you feel right now,” he replied, going along with the joke.

   She let out a hum, “I’d say you’re at a five on the special scale.”

    “Only a five?” he questioned, “How do I get that up to a ten?”

    “The evening is still young,” she responded, “Who knows, maybe it’ll lower.”

    “Not if I can help it!”

    They reached housing in no time. The building was large, enough to fit at least a hundred people, but plain. Unlike the church which was ornate and eye-catching, the housing building was just white with a grey roof. Daniel opened the door and motioned for her to go inside. Tomie awkwardly limped her way into the building, trying not to put too much pressure on her ankle. Daniel followed behind her and went back to helping her walk the rest of the way. The first thing she noticed about the inside was how sterile it looked. The walls were pure white with only the framed paintings on the wall and the brown wooden doors and floor to give it any color. The paintings were similar to the stained glass, all space themed. The two walked all the way to the end of the hall before stopping at a door. Daniel pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Tomie, again, walked in first with Daniel close behind. The bedroom was very generic, not that she was complaining. The walls and floor were the same white and brown, but this time there was a grey rug in the middle of it. Against the far wall was a twin bed with grey sheets and a white bed frame. On the wall closest to the was a small wooden desk with a lamp and chair. On the right wall was a wooden dresser and, next to it, was another door.

    “Over there is the bathroom,” Daniel explained, “It’s fully stocked with everything you’d need. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

    “No I think I’ll be fine,” she answered, “Thanks for all of this. You didn’t really have to do any of this, but you did and I really appreciate it.”

    “It’s no problem at all!” he replied, “I’ll leave you to your business and will check in on you later.”

    Tomie watched as Daniel left, closing the door behind him. She limped over to the dresser and placed her backpack on top of it before making her way to the bathroom. The first thing she noticed about the bathroom was how clean it was. She didn’t even know bathrooms could be this clean. The bathroom itself was pretty standard. There was a white bathtub with a shower head and grey shower curtains on the far wall. Close to the door was a sink and medicine cabinet and next to it was a toilet.  In the left corner was a grey hamper for dirty clothes. She went over to the sink and noticed a toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap, and a cup. Opening the medicine cabinet, there was mouthwash, a folded up shower cap, a hairbrush and comb, and female hygiene products. Daniel wasn’t kidding when he said that everything she needed would be in there.

    She took out the brush, “Time to go through hell.”

    She really wasn’t looking forward to brushing her hair. She knew she’d eventually pay for the neglect, she just didn’t expect it to be so soon. The only positive of it being so soon was that it wouldn’t nearly be as bad as it could have been. She removed her hair from its bun prison and tried her best to separate the matted mess into three sections. She began to brush a section at a time from the bottom to the top. Each time the brush caught a knot or a stubborn matted section, Tomie would swear in both pain and frustration. After fifteen minutes of torture, she had successfully brushed through her hair. It was a greasy mess, but it had been a while since she’d seen her hair down. It had grown a little longer since she last remembered, reaching her shoulder blades.

    She walked over to the bathtub and turned on the shower. She removed her clothes and instinctually discarded them in the hamper before entering the shower. The moment the hot water hit her body, a shiver shot up her spine. She can’t remember the last time she had a nice hot shower. It felt great! Tomie noticed the bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner and immediately went to task. She stayed in the shower for a good while, just soaking in the relaxation and the smell of vanilla. Eventually, Tomie forced herself out of the shower. She grabbed a towel hanging on the wall and dried herself off. She knew for a fact that there had to have been a blow dryer somewhere, so she started her search for it. It ended up being under the sink. Plugging it in, she thoroughly dried her hair. The fog had finally cleared itself from the mirror and it was then that she caught a glimpse of how she looked. She almost didn’t recognize herself. She almost looked like her old self from before she was exiled from her home. Tomie could feel emotions well up in her chest. She immediately pushed them down, put her hair in a ponytail, and brushed her teeth. Now she was completely clean and it felt great.

    She left the bathroom to find clothes on her bed. Had she really been that absorbed in the shower that she didn’t hear anyone come in?  She limped over to the bed for closer inspection. There was a grey, long sleeved oversized shirt, white pants, socks, and… a pack of underwear? She wasn’t sure if she should have been appreciative or weirded out. She decided on a mixture of both.

    “They really like white and grey, don’t they?” She quickly got dressed. Surprisingly enough, the clothes fit her pretty well. It felt nice to be wearing something different for once. Like a breath of fresh air. “I know he said he’d be back, but it wouldn’t hurt to look around would it?”

    Before heading out, she limped over to the dresser and properly stored the undergarments. She then made her way to the door. Right when she was going to open it, the door pushed open, causing her to take a step back and there was Daniel, smile and all.

    “Holy shit dude!” she exclaimed, trying to stop her heart from jumping out of her chest.

    “Oh, did I startle you? I’m so sorry,” he apologized, “I figured you’d be done by now. I brought an ice pack for your ankle.” He held up a white ice pack.

    “Oh, uh, thanks,” she responded.

    “Speaking of your ankle,” Daniel began, “We need to take a look at it.”

    Daniel led Tomie back over to the bed. The two sat down and Daniel motioned for her to let him see her ankle. She carefully lifted her leg up and onto the bed. Daniel pushed the pant leg up and began to inspect it. His touch was so light and careful and he’s assessed the damage done. She didn’t know why, but she felt somewhat embarrassed during the whole process.  She tried to look elsewhere to distract herself. That’s when she saw it. Right dead center on Daniel’s forehead was a bump.

    “Oh wow that rock did a number on you,” she blurted out.

    Daniel looked up, “Excuse-”

    Tomie pulled her leg away from Daniel and leaned in to gently place the ice pack on his forehead, “Sorry about that. If you want, you could always hit me back so we’ll be even.”

    The two sat in complete silence for what felt like forever. Daniel didn’t respond to a word she said. Instead, all he did was stare at her. She couldn’t get an accurate read on his expression at all. Was it anger? Confusion? Surprise? Did she do something wrong? Did she cross some sort of line? The whole situation was very awkward. She carefully removed the ice pack from his forehead and began to scoot away. Suddenly, Daniel grabbed her wrist which startled her.

    “A… Are you taking me up on that offer already?” she asked in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, “I thought you’d at least take me to dinner first.”

    Daniel’s expression immediately went from the one she couldn’t describe to the one she was used to seeing, almost as if nothing happened. “Oh no, I’d never take you up on an offer like that,” he responded, “But back to your ankle, it’s definitely sprained. To be on the safe side, you should stay until it’s completely healed.”

    “No,” she quickly turned him down, “I don’t want to put you out like that.”

    “Nonsense, I insist.” he replied, his head tilting to the side, “Please at least sleep on it before you make a decision.”

    Daniel seemed like he genuinely cared about her safety which caused her to feel a twinge of guilt. As if saying no to him would be one of the worst things she could do in this situation. “Yeah… Sure. I’ll sleep on it.”

    His smile grew wide, “Great! Give me one moment.” He got up from the bed and left the room. Not even a second later, he was back with crutches. “You need to give that ankle of yours a break.”

    “Oh, wow, thanks Daniel,” she limped over and took the crutches. Almost as if on cue, her stomach growled.

    Daniel let out a small chuckle, “Why don’t we go get you something to eat. You must be starving.”

    “Starving is an understatement,” she joked.

    The two left the room and made their way out of the housing building. The walk to the dining hall wasn’t a long one as it was relatively close by. The building itself was identical to the housing building. Daniel opened the door for her and Tomie walked in. The inside was very open. The walls and floor were, again, white and brown. More paintings littered the walls. There were long wooden tables with benches. Just like the housing building, the eating building looked as if it could hold a large amount of people. In fact, there were quite a few people sitting and eating, all wearing white and grey clothing. Daniel lead Tomie to a table. She sat down and he walked away and through a door that lead to who knows where. When he came back, he had a plate and a cup of water. He placed them in front of Tomie. On the plate was a chicken breast, brown rice, and a variety of vegetables. It was a simple looking meal; nothing inherently special about it at all. But to Tomie, it might as well have been the most popular dish at a high class restaurant that made you be on the wait-list for a whole year before you could even eat there. The first spoonful she took was like heaven. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. She might as well have been inhaling the food at the rate she was going.

    “Whoa, slow down there!” Daniel cautioned, “You’ll end up upsetting your stomach at the rate you’re going.”

    Her cheeks flared up, “You’d be like this too if you hadn’t eaten in two weeks…”

    “How old are you, by the way?” he inquired, changing the subject.

    “Nineteen,” she answered in between bites.

    “What’s a nineteen year old doing in the forest?”

    “That’s what happens when your parents kick you out.”

    “Your parents kicked you out?” he repeated, “I hope I’m not overstepping any boundaries, but may I ask why?”

    “Long story short, we both found out that I was also into girls at the same time.” she explained, “I obviously had no issue with it. My parents on the other hand…”

    “Wow…” Tomie wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard disgust in his voice. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

    Tomie shook her head, “It’s fine, really. I can’t pretend like I’m not bothered by it, but I can’t say I hate them for it either. Outside of this, they never really try to stop me from pursuing anything growing up.”

    “That doesn’t it make it right,” he argued.

    “I know, but there really isn’t anything I can do about it either.” She finished the last of her water and then let out a yawn, “Enough about me. Tell me something about yourself.”

    Daniel smiled, “We can talk about me tomorrow. You should get some rest.”

    Tomie stood up, “Not going to fight you on that.”

    The two left the building and made their way back to housing. Tomie was surprised at how quickly it became night. The sky was beautiful and full of stars. Everything was quiet and peaceful. She had to admit, she didn’t dislike being at the compound. They went inside the housing building and went all the way to the end of the hall. Tomie opened the door and stepped inside.

    “I don’t think I can thank you enough for all of this,” she said.

    “Like I said, it’s no problem at all,” he responded, “By the way, how am I on the special scale now?”

    “On a scale of one to ten?” she began before smiling, “I’d give you an eleven.”

    “Oh wow, I broke the scale. What an honor.” he responded.

    “A way to a girl’s heart is her stomach,” she joked, “Night Daniel.”

    “Good night Tomie,” he replied, “Sleep well.”

    They parted ways and Tomie made her way to the bed. She placed the crutches against the wall and carefully went under the covers. Normally, in a situation like this, she would have thought over everything that happened. This time; however, she was much too exhausted to think. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter is finally done! I'm actually pretty satisfied with this one. I like writing back and forths between the two. I hope you enjoyed it!


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